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by Giannis Protopapadakis – April 30, 2021
Some businesses do everything they can to keep the customer satisfied. Even if they are not responsible, they take action so as not to “disrupt” the customer experience.
For these businesses and especially the people behind it, the customer is treated above all as a human being. One such story was told to me by Nadia, owner of a family hotel, “Foresta in Medias Mores,” in mountainous Arcadia . . . .
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“It was August 16, 2017, and it was extremely hot, around 37C, unusual for the area, as the hotel is located at an altitude of 1,100 metres. That day at the hotel we had a christening table in the restaurant area. All day arrivals were completed except one booking from Italy for one night in a single room.
“Because we are a small family business, my husband, Christos, and the staff and I were all at the event. At one point a gentleman appeared visibly depressed and walking with difficulty. He was the visitor we were expecting from Italy, who had had a flat tire but could not put on the spare. He managed to arrive with the flat tire as far as 500m from the hotel and came the rest of the way on foot.
“We offered him homemade cold lemonade and fresh local ravani. I later learned that this gentleman was a professor and historian at the University of Milan and had come to conduct research on the archeological sites of the Peloponnese. My husband, although he does not speak English (I could not leave the event at that time), took him by car to his own vehicle, set up the spare, and they returned to the hotel.
“Then we led Mr. Matteo, as his name was, to his room to rest after such a difficult day. It was difficult to find a garage open that day to fix the tire, and the car also had an electrical fault. Nevertheless, through some acquaintances we found a garage in Tripoli (25km distance) to help us.
“My husband, without thinking and despite the workload, took the car to the garage and returned it, repaired, to Mr. Matteo late at night. To thank us, Mr. Matteo stayed at our hotel for an additional three nights, preferring to visit the archaeological sites on day trips, even those located in another prefecture, and then return here.”
In Mr. Matteo’s enthusiastic review he expressed gratitude to Nadia and Christos — and every now and then he sends them handwritten postcards from the various archeological sites he visits.
The authentic concept of hospitality . . . .
See the original story here.
